


The Olympus Institute

by ThisIsAwesomeness



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: ..this dorks kind of filled the spaces for characters, Annabeth doesn't want to be Percy's soulmate, F/M, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Percy gets suck in a quest for a book, Soulmates, The Book of Cassandra, anyway this is going to be long and maybe slow updates, this was supposed to be my own story but...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-07-10 13:11:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6986452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsAwesomeness/pseuds/ThisIsAwesomeness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a demigod wasn't on Percy Jackson's bucket list, to-do list or any lists for that matter. Sure enough, he also didn't plan on having a soulmate who hates his guts with a passion burning more than that of Apollo's hotness (not his idea, honestly, not even his by one bit) and being forced to search for a stupid Book of Cassandra, just because he's a son of some bigshot jerk. Percy surely didn't plan these things, but it seemed as though Fates liked to weave their own way.</p><p>Who the eff is Cassandra anyway?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

SALLY JACKSON whimpered in pain just as the first contraction started. Her hands were shaking and sweaty as she tightened her grip on the sheets, pushing with all her might. The fluorescent light hanging on the ceiling glared at her, as if judging her for all her actions. Sally quickly dismissed the thought as a grave, annoyed voice jarred in her mind.

"Hurry up, girl. We have more pregnant women waiting outside."

Sally bit her lip and apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm just—I'm not used to—"

"I know," the midwife cut her off, impatiently. She fixed Sally with an appraising glare. "God, you're only what? 19? 20? Come on, more pushing, less talking."

The words of the midwife slapped her in the face, hard but Sally accepted it calmly. She had long knew the results of her actions, perhaps way even before she did them, yet she regretted nothing. If she was given the chance to turn back in time, she would still choose the same fate, the same man, even if she was to suffer the consequences again and again.

Sally thought about her baby, her baby boy and she pushed again with a renewed vigor. When she was only a few seconds away from passing out, aloud, resounding cry broke out in the room. The midwife took the baby carefully, cut the umbilical cord and wrapped him in a clean, white cloth.

The baby didn't stop crying and Sally didn't either. Tears of joy overcame the exhausted look in her eyes, as she took the baby from the midwife and gazed at the boy in her arms. For one moment, the midwife smiled at her, the previous condescending glares and judging look disappeared from her eyes and were replaced by a look of fondness.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," Sally croaked out through her tears, as she squeezed the midwife's wrist carefully.

The midwife just smiles and wiped the tears and sweat from Sally's face. "Where's your husband, dear? He ought to be around at this moment."

Sally shook her head wistfully. "He's not coming. He's—"

Just then, a figure stepped in from the door, looking hurried and disheveled himself. The man wore a floral beach shirt and Bermuda shorts, with flip flops adoring his feet. His gaze travelled across the room until it fell on Sally's. He strode forward and reached her in a few steps.

"Poseidon, I—"

"Are you her husband?" the midwife asked.

Poseidon nodded. "Is she—are they both okay?"

"Yes, if I say so myself. She's just a bit winded, right now. Although you might want to be earlier next time, leaving your girl in labor isn't a good thing. But the good news is, you have a healthy baby boy."

Poseidon then looked at the baby on Sally's arm—their baby—and he asked, "May I?"

"Of course."

He carefully held the baby, who has now stopped crying. The baby was looking at him, and he wanted to laugh because of course—he has his eyes.

The midwife looked at them for a few seconds before rushing out. "I'll leave you two then. Congratulations."

Poseidon was still cradling the baby in his arms when he noticed Sally staring at them. He asked why.

She laughed lightly. "Nothing. It's just that he looks just like you. He inherited almost every single thing about you."

He chuckled. "He might have, but he got your nose though. But the thing is, I can feel that he has your heart, and that's what matters the most.

Sally bit her lip and smiled at him, fondly. "Thank you for coming."

"I should've been earlier."

"It doesn't matter."

Holding the baby in one arm, Poseidon gingerly reached for Sally's hand. "Sally, you know that I won't be able to stay any longer. I'm not going to be around his life. This might probably be the last time I'll see him. I hope you understand that."

"I know. And I do understand. I knew ever since the moment I signed up for this," Sally said as she looked up at him. "What shall we name him?"

"It's your choice."

She fumbled with the sheets in her hand. "I—I want him to have the best life I could give him. I want him to have a fate worthy of a good man. Worthy of a hero."

"Perseus," Poseidon whispered. "Perseus Jackson."

"Yes," Sally nodded in assent. "Perseus Jackson, our baby boy."

Sally was still watching Perseus—Percy sleep when she felt Poseidon's hand on hers. She looked down to see a golden coin on her palm, a coin that she hasn't seen before.

"Take it," he said. "That's a drachma. Give it to Perseus when he reaches 17 and send him to The Olympus Institute. The demigods there will know what to do. It's the best path for him to take. Promise me, Sally."

"I promise," she repeated.

Poseidon dropped a kiss to her and their son's forehead, before caressing he cheek. "Don't worry. I'll watch you both even if I'm away. And I love you both. Don't forget that."

Sally nodded and closed her eyes, feeling his lips brushed against her cheek, lightly.

When she opened her eyes, he's gone, and there's only nothing but a thick air of longingness filling the entire room.


	2. I Departure

THE WALLS TO HIS ROOM were barren, save for the chipped blue paint on his walls. There were holes too; holes where he used to hang the framed pictures of his mom and friends, maybe a few medals from swimming competitions and a drugstore calendar that served more as a decoration rather than its actual purpose.

Percy's eyes travelled across his former room, which was now reduced to an empty space held together by four mahogany walls.

"Percy, hurry up," he heard his mom call.

Grunting a reply of "Yes, mom," his hand flew to his right pocket, where he took the small piece of gold coin given by his mom.

To be honest, Percy didn't want to leave this place, no matter how old, cranky and rotten their apartment was. He had been born, grown up and established his life in this small, cramped up space he called home. The low, creaking sound of the uneven floorboard on the second step of the stairs, the humdrum of traffic and feet slapping across the pavement were music to his ears. This was where he was familiar, and he longed for it to stay just like that.

However, because of a promise his mom made to his insensitive jerk of a father, Percy was forced to leave his home in Manhattan and to go study in a place he had never heard even before. The Olympus Institute? What the heck was that?

Flipping the coin in his palm, he stared at the gold coin again. He glared at it, as if the weight of his gaze could be carried by the coin to his father, letting him know of Percy's resentment towards him, whoever he may be.

"Yeah, right. As if you'd cost me a fortune," he said to the coin.

Feeling hopeless, Percy shook his head to himself as he grabbed the large bags with his hands and trudged down the stairs, where his mom was waiting for him at the bottom.

* * *

 

"Are you nervous?" Sally asked him, her eyes flitting over to him for a second.

Percy squirmed in his seat and glanced at the window. The buildings and establishments along the road were just a mash of blurry lines and blinking lights in his vision, as his mom drove the Camaro with a speed fast enough not to get them into trouble. Sally got the car from a loan she was able to pay through her job in Sweet America, which thankfully paid enough to sustain them enough food for the day. His mom hadn't allowed him to drive a car even if he had already reached 17. Most of his schoolmates drove their own cars while he settled on a skateboard to school. Percy knew it wasn't for the reason that he was always blowing up things accidentally, but more of the matter that she was just concerned for his overall safety. Although, the former could be a reason too.

"Don't be nervous, Percy," Sally said to him, reassuringly when he kept his silence.

"I'm not nervous. Why would I be?"

"Why! It's a new place, a new environment for you where you can be your best."

Scowling, Percy replied. "You're not sure about that, mom."

"Why would I be sending you there if I wasn't?" Sally asked him. She briefly let go of the steering wheel and reached across the console to grab his hand. "Your father means well, Percy, He may not be around us but he wants you to have the best."

"He should've been there for us, if he does mean it!"

His mom regarded him with a warning look. "Perseus."

Percy slinked back to his seat, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I just didn't understand why you can't join me and why do I have to stay there. I don't want to leave you, mom."

She patted his cheek twice, like she always did when he was younger. "Sweetie, I know. I don't want to leave you too. But you should understand that this is the right path for you."

"Okay," he conceded.

Sally looked at him then pinched his cheeks. "Now, don't go flashing around that frown in your face. You might want to bring that smile out now, baby."

"I'm not a baby. I'm a grown up," Percy argued.

"Yes, you are. But you'll always be my baby boy," Sally said. She then glanced ahead and smiled. "We're almost there."

Percy looked out to the window and watched the familiar gray themed buildings faded out into distance. His mom continued to drive steadily as they weaved past the main road and broke out into a narrow soiled path. He could no longer see the city edifices as they were now covered by large maple and pine trees on the side of the road.

After that, they passed by a strawberry field with fresh and delicious looking strawberries. Percy wanted to tell his mom to stop for a moment so they could pick some strawberries, but he figured that the person managing the field wouldn't be too happy. As they crossed the field, a large, metal gate greeted them from a distance and a short crippled guy was standing on the side. He was wearing simple jeans and an orange shirt, with a black Pegasus designed at the front. He didn't look like he was guarding the gate, so maybe he was a student or something.

Sally parked the car at the side and turned the engine off. She turned to Percy, who sat frozen in his seat. "Honey, we're here."

"Yeah," Percy whispered, like the thought. "I'm not scared."

"You'll be okay. Trust me," she said and leaned forward to drop a kiss on his forehead. "Come on. Let's greet your first friend."

Percy wanted to reason that no, they weren't sure he's going to be but he kept his mouth shut. He brought his backpack with him while unloading the rest of his luggage from the car. He reluctantly followed his mom and watched as the guy struggled to approach them in his crutches.

"Hi," the guy in orange greeted, his voice a bit raspy and hushed. "You must be Mrs. Jackson."

"In fact, I am," Sally replied and gestured to him. "This is my son, Perseus."

"Perseus," the guy repeated. He then extended his hand, which was rough and calloused. "I'm Grover."

Percy shook it with a smile. "Just Percy. Perseus makes me sound like a hero."

Sally choked a little and Grover let out a bleated laugh. Weird. "Sure, Percy. Do you have the drachma with you?"

He stared blankly at Grover. "What drachma?"

Grover glanced at Sally, questioningly.

"He's referring to the gold coin, Percy."

"So, it's called a drachma? That sounds funny," Percy commented as he reached for his pocket and held the coin out.

"Sure." Grover laughed, nervously. He sounded like a goat. "He's now okay, Mrs. Jackson."

"Sally. Call me Sally. And Percy, I think it's time for our goodbyes now."

Percy bit his lip and tried to squash his own tears. He felt as though he's back on his first day of school, too scared to part with his mom. But he had grown and had been taller, bigger now, yet he was still awfully the same.

He reached for her arms to hug her tight against his body. He didn't want to go, he didn't want to leave his mom but he had to. Percy promised her that he'll try to fit in and avoid accidents as much as possible. He had to keep his words.

"We'd still see each other again, right? I'll miss you, mom," he whispered to her hair.

"Of course, Percy." Sally pulled back and held his face between her hands, as her eyes stared at him with unshed tears. "Look at you. All grown up now. I knew even before that this was your fate. Remember that this was for your own good. Live it for me, Percy. I'll miss you, sweetie."

She pressed two quick pecks on his cheeks before waving a last goodbye to him and climbed down the Camaro. Percy watched her as she drove away from them, the car becoming smaller and smaller until it was only a speck of his dust in his vision.

"You have a nice mom, Percy," Grover said beside him.

"Yeah. Yeah she is." Percy turned to him. "No offense but, you aren't really cut out for these kind of things, are you?"

Grover let out an annoyed huff. "I know. Don't remind me. But I hope you had a nice welcoming to The Olympus Institute."

"I didn't. You might have to do it again," Percy said just to tease Grover.

"Bah! You're lucky I'm not Clarisse," Grover muttered to himself.

Percy was about to ask who Clarisse was when he heard a frantic cry of "Leo!" and a big blast sending him flying backwards, before everything faded into nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hi. So this was chapter 1, and I'm sorry if this wasn't long and still kind of bore. I'm just not used to writing long chapters. But we'll get to the real thing soon after a few chapters (in a few, to be honest). I've already made a rough outline of what would happen in the story so yay! I'm trying to write as much possible because next term is starting next week and for sure, I won't be able to update as much.
> 
> Thank you for the reviews. For some reason, I can't reply by PM (I don't know why), so I'll have to thank you here. I'm not really sure if this would be funny, because I'm not really good in writing humor.
> 
> Have a good day and please review!
> 
> As always,
> 
> ThisIsAwesomeness
> 
> p.s. this was also unedited. sorry for the mistakes!


	3. II Centaurs Are Real

 

PERCY WOKE UP to a dull throbbing in his head and hushed voices talking. His head ached and his eyes were droopy but he forced them open anyway. The brightly lit room greeted him with a harsh glare and he came face to face with a pair of frowning gray eyes. He blinked up at them, then backed away on an instinct.

If possible, the girl with the gray eyes and princess' blonde curls frowned deeper. "You drool in your sleep," she said.

"Annabeth!" another girl shushed, which reminded Percy that there were also other people inside the room. "Go easy on him. He just woke up!"

"But it's true!" the gray eyed girl claimed, who he figured out was Annabeth. Just then, he realized what she said, and Percy quickly wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Ew.

"What?" he exclaimed, when he noticed them staring. "I just passed out, cut me some slack."

"Stupid," Annabeth muttered under her breath. Percy decided to ignore her. "Wait. What actually happened? Who are you? Where's Grover?"

"Easy there, boy. Breathe," the other girl said. She was undoubtedly beautiful, although it seemed like she was trying to tone it down. Her brown hair was chopped unevenly and her eyes were a flurry of kaleidoscopic colors. "I'm Piper. We're students here. Grover was fetching Chiron, so don't worry. Well, about what happened…it's this booger's fault."

She pointed to a short, elfish guy. The ends of his curly hair were burnt and there were smudges of soot on his cheeks. He was tinkering with a small wrist watch, oblivious to them until Piper called him a booger.

"Hey. I'm not a booger!" he said then flashed Percy a wide grin. "I'm Super McShizzle Valdez. I'm sorry about that, bro. Just some minor problem with this super awesome bullet-shooting wrist watch."

"Super awesome, my ass," Annabeth muttered under her breath. She fixed Leo a look. "I would gladly appreciate it if you'd stop blowing things up _accidentally_."

Piper pointed an accusing finger at him. "Don't you dare to think I forgot that incident where you _accidentally_ made a bonfire out of my wardrobe, Valdez. I had to borrow clothes from my _oh so generous sisters_ because of that."

"And remember what happened to my blueprints?"

"Woah, hey," Leo raised his hands up in defense. "Those are accidents, and accidents happen all the time. It's for the sake of knowledge!"

"Not if it happens every time!"

Percy perked up. "I would love to agree with you, Fire boy, but you kind of blew me up and knocked me unconscious."

Whatever Leo was going to say was cut off by the sound of foot—no, _hoovesteps_ approaching the door. Grover nervously walked in without his crutches followed by a half horse and half man, the torso dressed in a white button down.

"Woah," Percy muttered as he scooted away from them. He looked at Grover, alarmed. "Grover, where are your crutches? Why is he dressed like that? Is he supposed to cosplay a mythical creature?"

Leo snickered a bit before Piper shushed him with a glare. "Um, excuse us, Chiron. But we're going to be late for archery." The she tugged him out of the door.

Annabeth shuffled in her feet and turned to excuse herself but the cosplaying man stopped her. "Please stay Annabeth. I'd like your assistance in this matter."

He then looked at Percy. He had a white beard and a very serious expression on his face, but otherwise he looked completely harmless. "I'm Chiron, the school director of The Olympus Institute alongside Mr. D. I would like you to know that I'm a centaur and this has nothing to do with cosplaying. If we're to base your knowledge of the Greek mythology on your reaction, I'm guessing you wouldn't happen to be aware that the Greek gods exist and you are a demigod yourself?"

Percy stared at him, baffled. He gently shook his head and stared at Chiron's horse figure like he dropped from some planet called Megaboo. "You're a Centaur, for real? Not kidding?"

"I'm pretty sure about it, child. For years, no one had decided to question my ancestry."

"Yeah, right." Percy rolled his eyes. "So, you're telling me Greek gods are real? What kind of prank is this?"

"Percy," Grover squeaked. "It's true. Greek gods are real. Chiron's a centaur and I'm a satyr!"

"You're a satyr?! We've been friends for two minutes and you didn't tell me?" Percy exclaimed. He glared at Annabeth. "What now? Are you going to tell me you're Medusa or something?"

Annabeth's eyes widened and she looked downright murderous. Percy drew back until his back hit the headboard. Her hand quickly flew to the strapped weapon on her hip before Chiron intervened.

"Annabeth, stop."

"But, he just insulted my mother, Chiron!" she exclaimed and for a second, Percy thought she would've stabbed him.

"I don't think he means that, child. Perseus is just overwhelmed with the whole situation—"

Grover's laughter rang inside the room, making all gazes flit over to him. " _Perseus and Medusa._ What a joy."

The fire in Annabeth's eyes flared again. Percy glanced away and Grover gulped audibly. "I'm sure you don't want to be the first satyr to face my dagger, huh Grover?"

"Well, I'd rather not face any weapon soon," Grover stuttered out.

"Enough!" Chiron's voice boomed, which silenced the trio. "I'd expect you all to act like adults not children, understand? Annabeth, I'm giving you the task to show Perseus around the institute."

"Chiron!" Annabeth exclaimed. She pointed a finger in Percy's direction. "You can't expect me to show that idiot around!"

"You're one of the counselors, Annabeth. It's one of your sworn duties. I'm sure you understand that."

Annabeth nodded timidly and kept her eyes on the floor. "Of course, Chiron."

"Get him settle at the Hermes class for the meantime, until he gets claimed. We'll discuss more of this after you've rest enough, Perseus. Leo sure did give you an explosive welcoming."

* * *

 

Percy had just woken up from a nap after all the unwanted chaos stepped out of the small room. Pushing back the hair covering his eyes, his gaze scanned the room where he was resting. The room was dimly lit by a small light bulb perched on the center of the ceiling. The floor and walls were all made of a certain kind of polished hardwood, giving the place an older feeling. Admittedly, he hadn't had much time to observe the place considering the mind blowing he was made known of recently. Heck, how was he supposed to act when he found out his first friend here was a satyr and that Greek gods were real? Surely, everyone in this place would have freaked out. Well, maybe with the exception of that Annabeth girl.

Percy didn't know what to think of her. She's pretty, sure, he'd give her that, but her obnoxious and annoying attitude ruined that. For the record, he was sure he hadn't done anything wrong at all since he stepped on this ground, but it seemed as though she was keen on hating him. And now, she was supposed to show him around? Good luck to that.

The door creaked open slowly and Percy turned his head to find Annabeth looking at him. There's an evident scowl on her face and she looked like she would rather be in any place other than this. She crossed her arms on her chest when she noticed him staring back at her.

"You're awake," she said.

Percy rolled his eyes. "And apparently, you have a knack for stating the obvious."

"It's just because I thought you wouldn't understand," Annabeth muttered, her eyes squinting at him. "Get up. I'd still have to show you around."

Feeling that arguing with her would do no good, Percy stood up and hesitantly followed Annabeth out of the door.

The hallway was filled with milling people and Annabeth had to hold Percy's hand so he wouldn't be lost in the crowd. They squeezed inside and walked briskly towards the direction of the left corridor.

"This is the Main Hall," Annabeth shouted at him amidst the loud chattering and whisperings. "Everyone's busy here so you don't want to be a slowpoke and get dragged to gods know where."

Percy nodded imperceptibly and noticed the blaring orange shirt Grover and almost everyone wore. He felt like a sore thumb with his black shirt and a blue hoodie.

"Why is everyone wearing orange?" he asked, his eyes still glue to the almost offending color.

"Because orange is my favorite color," Annabeth said.

Percy's head whipped towards her with an incredulous look on his face and she smirked. "I was just joking. It's the standard uniform here."

"Funny. I didn't take you for the joking type."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and tugged at his wrist as they sped off to the door. As they went outside, the evening breeze wheezed past him and he inhaled the fresh smell of damp air and fire. Percy grinned for the first time since he went in this place and he promptly ignored the look Annabeth sent to him.

His gaze caught on the large bonfire burning brightly at the center. There were several buildings surrounding the place, which were designed almost just like the Parthenon in Athens. The columns were a variety of Ionic, Doric and Corinthian, and all were made from marble with the exception of the Main Hall. It was made from wood. He raised an eyebrow at Annabeth, silently asking about the bonfire.

"It's kind of tradition. We hold a large bonfire every night where everyone makes offering to their own parents, sings some camp songs and just basically have fun."

"How come your fuel doesn't run out?"

"The Hephaestus class takes care of it. They love fire," she answered.

Percy bit his lip and unfurled his hands. He glanced at her. "So, it's really true then? Greek gods are real."

Annabeth nodded. "Yup. Not just Greek gods though, but the Greek mythology as well. Remember Chiron and Grover?"

"Of course," he scoffed. "How could I forget? I freaked out."

"Well, I didn't," she said, smugly. "So are you from a god or a goddess? You obviously can't be from Athena."

"I would choose to ignore that you ever said that. Uh, well, I have my mom so maybe from a god."

"By the way," Annabeth pointed at the buildings. "Every Olympian gods and goddesses together with Hades and Demeter has their own buildings to represent them, so there are a total of fourteen buildings dedicated to them. The students here are sorted through the Claiming Ritual, where their respective immortal parents would claim them. After being claimed, they would be transferred to their own classes or their parents' buildings where they would be taught by their fellows."

"This feels just like a university," Percy commented.

Annabeth shook her head. "This is more than that. On a sad note, there would be the unclaimed demigods and they would be placed on the Unclaimed Class. To be honest, you don't want to be placed there. They're treated as the lowest class here and are mostly the center of all the bullying. With all the sorted classes here, this feels more like high school."

Percy pondered on this. Unclaimed? He wouldn't want to be there. He'd experienced enough bullying back when he was little and he can't afford to suffer through that again. Maybe, whoever his father was could be a little less of jerk and claim him on the Claiming Ritual.

"Why would there be unclaimed demigods if there were separate classes for the gods and goddesses?" he asked.

"You see, not all gods are honored here. Only the gods that belong in the Olympian family are prioritized. Not all the demigods here are off springs from the Olympians. The children of the minor gods are usually the unclaimed ones. We've known of this because of their abilities."

"So, I'm guessing Leo's from Hephaestus?"

"Of course. Isn't it blatantly obvious?"

"What about Piper then?" he asked.

"She's from Aphrodite Class, although she doesn't get along with her siblings."

"Oh." Percy stared at her. "Whose god are you?"

"Goddess," Annabeth corrected. "I'm a daughter of Athena."

"Smartass," he mumbled.

She glared at him. "And you're a dumbass."

"Ah, is that why you're so riled up when I called you Medusa?"

"I believe the write word would be murderous. I would have murdered you on the spot if not for Chiron."

Percy put his hand on his chest, dramatically. "It would be such an honor to be murdered by a daughter of Athena," he muttered, sarcastically.

"You're lucky I'm not on a killing mode," Annabeth mumbled but she smiled nonetheless. "Come one, you don't want to get at the Hermes Class with all of your belongings gone. They're very welcoming in unpacking bags you know."

"Wait. Isn't Hermes the god of thieves and liars?"

"Good thing you caught on."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hello. This time I've reached 2k for this chapter. Now we have Leo and Piper in the group, and of course Annabeth, who still doesn't like Percy. Haha. This would probably be the last update for now because I'm starting another term next week and we all know how challenging college could be. I'll try to update as soon as the opportunity to write presents itself, while also trying to finish my other story.
> 
> As always, this chapter was unedited(to be honest, none of my chapters will ever be edited) and please try to leave a review. Please
> 
> Yours,
> 
> ThisIsAwesomeness


	4. S'mores At Camp Fire

**CHAPTER 3**

**S'MORES AT CAMP FIRE**

'OH GODS SHE WASN'T KIDDING,' Percy thought as he made his way to his temporary bunker at the further end of the room with his bags being prodded and inspected by two boys. He started to get pissed at Annabeth, it's probably her fault why Percy's getting picked on his first day. A bitter memory of his first day stirred in his mind but he pushed it away before he could lament about the past. He's a bigger boy now, a man even, to be a victim of bullying. And if ever that happened, Percy knew he could fight his way with them to stop it.

But he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Clearing his throat awkwardly like he's not seeing the whole thing, the two boys stopped and slowly turned around to face him. _Twins_ , he noted.

Percy tried to flash a smile, but it came out more as a grimace. "Uh, ... hi?"

The slightly taller twin casted a quick glance to his brother's shoulder. "Hey, um, we're doing this all on command. You know the protocol, making sure you don't have bomb and stuff. I'm Travis, by the way."

Percy shook his hand warily and noticed the rapid hand movement behind Travis' back.

The other one grinned mischievously. "Connor Stoll. The better twin. And you are?"

"Percy," he answered and on second thought he added, "Jackson."

"Are you Percy or Jackson?"

"Percy Jackson."

The twins grinned at him and clapped his back. "See you later at camp fire, Percy Jackson."

They were about to get away when a figure stepped in, blocking the path of the two. He's tall and built, and way put together compared to the twins. _He must be one of the seniors_ , Percy concluded.

"Hey give it back, Stolls," the senior guy said and glanced at Percy. "You don't want him to have a bad impression on the Hermes cabin now, do you?"

"We didn't take anything!"

"Travis. . ."

Travis looked over to Connor and elbowed him. "He did it."

"Hey!" Connor protested, glaring at his twin. "You passed it to me."

"But you're holding it. Come on, give it back bro."

Connor rolled his eyes. "Like you're any better."

He hesitantly took Percy's wallet from his pocket— _woah, when did that happen_ , Percy thought—and handed it to him. "Sorry, force of habit."

"Nah," Travis contested while slinging an arm around his brother. "Force of bloodline."

They then stepped out of the cabin laughing manically, leaving Percy with the senior guy.

"Sorry about that. We don't normally steal on newbies. Well, except those two," the guy began, smiling apologetically. "I'm Luke, counselor of this cabin. You're Percy, I heard?"

"Yeah," he affirmed. "Thanks for saving my wallet."

"No problem. Just tell me if they bother you again," Luke said and just then Percy noticed the ugly scar running across his left cheek to jaw. It promptly ruined the prince charming look he had—blond hair and blue eyes—and Percy can tell there's more to it than just a scar.

"Hey, join us in camp fire?"

"Uh, sure."

* * *

The camp fire looked more beautiful closer, and the warm glow of its flames melted away the chills of his first day in the Institute. Small groups of people have gathered around the fire, some of them were dancing and singing, while some were roasting marshmallows. Strangely enough, he didn't find it weird to be part of this school—they seemed to be as normal as mortal teenagers could get anyway. Despite him being a son of a god— _hey, that jerk_ , Percy didn't feel any special and he was glad for that. Normalcy was the best he could ever ask for.

He was brought back to the present when Luke nudged his arm. "How're you finding your first day in the Institute so far?"

Percy placed his hands on his pockets. "Fine, I guess. If nearly being blown up to pieces was considered fine."

Luke let out a laugh. "You've got humor, Perce. Who nearly blew you up anyway? Leo?"

"Yeah. Was he that famous for blowing up things?"

"Well, he did—Oh, hey Annabeth!" Luke called. Annabeth quickly looked back and upon seeing who called her, blushed a deep shade of red. She wore a giddy smile that Percy thought was never possible but when her eyes landed on him—it quickly turned to a scowl. How sweet.

"Hey, Luke. What's up?" she greeted.

The blond smiled at her and Percy has to stop from rolling his eyes when she quickly returned the gesture. He felt Luke pat his back as the counselor of the Hermes cabin talked to Annabeth.

"Nothing much. Just showing around our newbie here. Hey, you've met Percy right?"

Annabeth started to answer. "Um—"

"Yeah," Percy cut her off. "Yeah, we did, earlier in the infirmary. Thought she was a princess."

Caught off guard, a light pink dusted her cheeks and Luke chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "She gets that impression most of the time, especially with these pretty curls. Though she'd rather be called a warrior than a princess, right Annie?"

"Um, oh—right."

"Well, I better get going. Piper's waving at you already. See you tomorrow, Annie. Percy," Luke said as he made his way opposite of where they came from.

"That's pathetic, _Annie_ ," Percy remarked when he was sure the blond counselor was out of hearing distance.

Annabeth glared daggers at him. "Shut up. And don't call me that." Her voice turned a little smaller. "What was that about anyway?"

"What about?"

She looked away from him. "The comment about princess or something."

"Oh." Percy blushed remembering what he blurted out a moments ago. He didn't know where that thought came from and so he decided he'd just use it to rile her up. "Nah, just thought about teasing you for being a _damsel_ and all."

"I'm not a damsel!" She retorted. "And you better remember that, Perseus."

Percy instantly cringed. It was already bad hearing his disgustingly heroic first name, but to utter it with such contempt and menace made it twice as worse. He's about to respond something equally horrible when his eyes landed on the marshmallows on stick brought by Piper. Leo's trailing behind her too, with a weird box stuff that resembled an old music box.

"Hey guys," Piper greeted. "Brought this welcome to TOI starter pack for Percy."

"Hurray. It's your birthday," Annabeth mumbled drily.

"Haha. You're so sweet, Annie," Percy remarked sarcastically.

Apparently, their banter didn't escape Piper's notice. The brunette let out a sigh and rolled her eyes dramatically. "You guys are fighting again?"

"Nope. Not really," Percy said as he took a stick from Piper's arms. "We're _flirting_."

Annabeth gagged. "In your dreams."

Leo grinned and extended his other arm, gesturing to the two. "See? You don't need to worry, _chica_. They're as good as lovers. Making beautiful music just like this Leo's Rockin' it all music box."

He made a move to push a button and rotate some dials as the gears inside the box started clicking and playing a Britney Spears' song through its alternative speaker.

"' _Oops, I did it again..._ '" Leo sang, as both Piper and Annabeth rolled their eyes. "Again?"

Percy whispered to Annabeth's ear, "Is he always like this?"

" _Gods_ , yes. If he wasn't claimed as Hephaestus', I would have kick his ass to the Apollo cabin, way before."

Percy not so subtly glanced at the clump of kids with lyres and guitars singing happily. It seemed as though they were having their own little concert. "But even if you do, wouldn't they kicked him out too? I mean, they're _Apollo's_."

Much to his surprise, Annabeth laughed, and it wasn't even sounding like sarcastic. "Wait till you hear Apollo and his haikus."

Percy just raised his eyebrows and stored the information in his mind, and gladly ate the slightly burned s'mores he was roasting. He quietly sat and listened to the singing, even to Leo's horrendous renditions of pop songs, while he observed and enjoyed the night.

As Percy glanced to corner, he saw someone sitting alone by the rock. She didn't look like she was engaged in the whole camp fire activity, but no one seemed to mind her there. It was as if she was invisible to the student body.

"Hey," Percy nudged Annabeth, and ignored the annoyed look she sent him. He vaguely pointed to the direction of the girl. "Is she part of the Institute?"

Annabeth's annoyed look melted into a sad one. "Yeah."

"Then why isn't she joining the camp fire?"

"She's isolated from the rest. She's an Unclaimed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. It's nice to see you back again. Unfortunately, I still won't be updating any chapters after this any soon because next week, I'll be back in school again. (If you've read my latest one shot, I think I promised to write during vacation, but it just so happen I don't have one.) Last term ended just last week and there's really no room for anything now that I'm gonna take all my majors for the next term.
> 
> By the way, forgive me if I made an inaccurate description of the Stolls, I forgot how they looked and how to tell difference of the two. Bye!
> 
> ThisIsAwesomeness (I should seriously change this, I'm not being awesome anymore).


	5. Claiming Ritual

**CHAPTER 4**

**CLAIMING RITUAL**

EVEN BEFORE THE WARM SUNLIGHT drifted into the blinds of the Hermes cabin, Percy's already stirring in his sleep. He waited for a few minutes before he got up and rubbed the sleep of his eyes. He'd known from experience that sitting up fast after you've just woken up will send your mind in a dizzy. From then on, he never did that again.

Instinctively, his gaze traveled around the room, noting that while majority were still fast asleep, some were already rousing. Everyone was up late last night, even past the end of the camp fire; which probably explained why most were still huddled on their bunk beds. However, Percy had never slept past ten. Well, maybe _twice_ , but his mom scolded him and denied him an afternoon without cookies as punishment. He could still remember that afternoon and he internally cringed. He wanted to think he learned his lesson.

The sun outside looked inviting but Percy didn't know where to go. Frankly, he's still a little overwhelmed with everything. All of the information about Greek gods and goddesses, about them actually existing and all of the related mythology that were not really myths at all, made his head throbbed. It seemed that everything was happening far too fast for him and he couldn't keep up. He wished so badly that this was a dream.

He pinched the sensitive skin on the inside of his wrist. Once. Twice. He wasn't dreaming.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Luke approach him. On his arm was an orange t-shirt with the black pegasus that everyone wore. When he saw Percy, he tossed the shirt into the air. Percy barely caught it.

"Figured you didn't want to feel left out," Luke said. He's wearing the shirt too, although his was a little worn for wear.

"Thanks." Percy held out the shirt in front of him. It was weird and quite an annoying color for a shirt. Of all the colors in the rainbow, they had to choose orange.

"I didn't know what size you are, but that's probably a little loose," the head counselor commented.

"It's fine."

Luke casually leaned on the frame of the nearest bunk. In his hand was a knife that looked almost like a kitchen knife but far sharper. He twirled it around like a pen on his fingers.

"How's your first night so far?"

"Okay, I guess. It's still a lot to take in," he shrugged.

"That's all beginners feel." Luke tossed the knife in the air. He caught it easily. "You just get used to it."

When he caught sight of the knife, Percy froze. _Is that a knife? What—why—I didn't do anything!_ There's probably a stupid frightened look on his face right now.

"You haven't seen a knife?" Luke asked when he saw the expression on his face.

"I have. It's just that—"

Luke laughed a little. "Sorry. I—", he let out another chuckle. Percy wanted to say that it's not a joke to make fun of the newbie, but he kept his mouth shut. "I'm not going to kill you."

He let out a breath of relief.

"Sorry for scaring you. Just got in my head that everyone was used to seeing me with knives."

"What do you need them for?"

"Training. More of fiddling. I'm a swords kind of guy."

Percy choked a gasp. What do they have to do with swords? Is this place the home for gangs or something? "Swords?"

"I always forget." Luke shook his head. "You'll find out later."

He nodded grimly.

"You may want to change your shirt now. Trust me, you don't wanna be late for breakfast," Luke called out to him as he woke up the rest of the cabin.

Percy's still a little off about stripping his shirt to change, but he figured no one would be paying attention to him anyway. He quickly changed out of his blue shirt and huddled with the rest as they left the cabin.

On the open field, wooden tables and benches were scattered around a square metal frame. There were dried twigs and ashes inside the black frame from the camp fire last night. Campers grouped together and chattered around as they occupy benches. He glanced around to find that the rest of the cabin has found their own tables and he was left standing awkwardly on the side.

Luke was in a table full of people. Piper and Leo were nowhere in sight; and he even craned his neck to look for Annabeth too, but he couldn't find her. A feeling of anxiousness filled him.

With a resigned sigh, Percy walked towards a bench at the far end of the group. He saw a girl sitting alone in it, and upon closer inspection, he noticed that it was the same girl who was left out during the campfire.

Bianca, if he remembered correctly.

"Um, hey." Percy nervously scuffed the soles of his shoes on the ground. "Can I sit here?"

"You're new here, aren't you?" she asked without looking up.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Trust me. You don't want to sit here."

"I'd like to take your word for that, but I don't exactly have a place to sit right now." He shrugged and took a seat on the bench opposite hers. "I hope you don't mind."

Bianca finally looked up and sent him an amused smile. "You've got guts."

"And so I've been told."

She looked as if she's going to say something but then her dark eyes shifted to a figure on his back. "Looks like Annabeth's going for you, Percy."

He raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know my name?"

"Word gets around, 'course."

"Percy."

On an instinct, he turned around to find Annabeth. She looked like a scary teacher—hands poised on her hips and her frown evidently directed at him. She looked up and waved a polite hello to Bianca. He noticed that her scowl melted into a soft smile and to an almost apologetic look.

Bianca returned the gesture with a genuine smile on her face. "It's okay."

Annabeth turned to him. "Percy, you're coming with me."

"But I'm already sitting here," he exclaimed with an incredulous look.

"Don't be difficult."

"She's right, Percy," Bianca supplied. She gave a grin to the blonde. "Annabeth's only following Chiron's orders. You better go."

With a sigh, he hesitantly stood up and walked beside Annabeth. He turned around to call out to Bianca. "We'll see each other again right?"

Bianca grinned. Her dark hair contrasted with the pale, ivory glow of her skin but her smile remained radiant. "Hopefully."

It was faint, a barely there whisper of "I'm sorry," but Percy was sure he heard Annabeth and the quick solemn gaze that passed Bianca's face.

Before he could pay it any further thought, Annabeth pulled him in a stride. It was then that he noticed the stares following him, while some were bouncing back and forth to Bianca and him. Percy could tell their gazes were nothing sort of pleasant and he's so fed up of seeing these again after his dark days of middle school. He almost blew up on Annabeth, but managed to control his anger. He didn't want to start an argument this early.

They soon arrived at a table with five or six occupants. They all have matching grey eyes with Annabeth except for Piper.

"Hey yo!" Piper hollered. "Morning, Percy."

"Mornin'." He gave a small, awkward wave to the rest of the table. "Uh, hello."

They only glanced up and gave him a tight smile and went back to digging in their food. That's when he noticed he didn't have one.

He looked around to find a canteen or a table full of food, but he couldn't find one. He nudged Piper on his right.

"Piper. Where do I get my food?"

"Oh." She swallowed her food and downed a glass of sparkling black drink—probably Coke. "You wish for it."

"Wish for it?"

"Yep." She showed him her empty glass, and magically—it filled slowly until it was full to the brim.

"Wow." Percy mumbled amazed. The rest of the table were completely ignoring them except Annabeth. She seemed amused.

"Just pray to them and say what you want."

Percy closed his eyes and tried to pray to whoever was listening out there to give him his mom's blue cookies. He muttered the words softly, like he's afraid someone will hear it.

A chuckle sounded and his eyes flew open. There, on the table, was his favorite Tupperware—a little transparent container with tearing edges and the flaps of his last school's swim team sticker coming off, and the inside was filled with Sally's blue cookies with chocolate chips.

The hesitant smile quickly transformed into a grin, almost splitting his face in two.

"You're eating cookies for breakfast?" Annabeth asked. She eyed the cookies like it's the last thing she'll ever eat.

Immediately, his walls became defensive. He wanted to ask why does she care but then, he doesn't want to have enemies so he lowered his gaze on the table. The tips of his fingernails caked with dirt dug through the hard surface of the table.

"These are my mom's cookies," he mumbled.

Annabeth's spine stiffened and she quietly resumed to eat her breakfast. Piper sent him a small smile.

A while later, a plate was slid to him with a slice of whole wheat bread.

"Eat more. We have sparring for later," Annabeth whispered.

Percy looked up but she just kept her gaze on her food. Against his will, a small smile played on his lips as he took the bread.

Somehow, it felt like an apology.

* * *

"Here's the Common Hall," Annabeth said as they stopped in front of a large graying building. Unlike any the others inside the inside the Institute, this one seemed more modern and built like a typical New York edifice. Its paint were already scraping off; the faint traces of spray paint on its white washed walls were brushed and cleaned by a group students. The double doors that lead inside the building were bolted to its sides, freeing its archway entrance. A few students were milling around the hallways, most of them just sitting around and lounging and talking among themselves.

"This is where the general classes are held. General classes are subjects taken by all students like Ancient History, Greek reading and writing—"

"Wait, what?" Percy spluttered. "Greek? How do you even understand that?"

Piper grinned next to him. "You'd know it later."

"I hate reading," he said.

Annabeth scoffed. "Everyone does."

"You?"

"Yep. The head counselor of Athena cabin hates reading. Cool right?" Piper teased.

"It's hard to read English when you're dyslexic, Piper."

"You're dyslexic too?"

"Also ADHD. Every demigods have both of them anyway," Annabeth answered. "Quit stalling. We're gonna be late."

As they walked through the halls, Percy remembered something. "Where's Leo by the way?"

Piper shrugged. "He's probably cutting classes working on his project."

"Here we are."

The classroom looked like any other classroom except for the abundance of posters written in Greek. Annabeth lead them to the bench somewhere in the middle, while Piper stuck around two desks behind them.

"I'm sitting with you for all your general classes today. But I'm going back to my seat at the front after you Claiming Ritual," Annabeth said.

"What's the deal about it anyway?"

"Not much. You just have to offer food and wait for your godly parent to claim you."

She took out a book under her desk. It looked very old, with some of its loose pages sticking out of the book. The pages were faded into a yellowish cream color and reeked with that old book smell he used to sniff from his mother's old copies.

He noticed Annabeth frown at the pages with random notes scrawled at the sides. He leaned over to read the scribbles. Surprisingly, he read the words easily without having to wait for the letters to fix themselves.

"Are they seriously flirting over these pages?" he asked.

Annabeth smirked at him with mirth playing in her eyes. "Looks like you just read Greek."

* * *

Fair enough, the classes seemed okay for him. He's fine with Ancient history even if he dozed off a few times and even if he can read Greek, Percy found out he's not good about writing it. He still struggled over some words but it was nothing compared to the horror of reading Shakespeare in English. He might've bickered with Annabeth instead of listening to the lesson at some point, but overall, attending The Olympus Institute didn't seem like the worst nightmare.

That was until he met Clarisse and her squad of bullies.

Percy's trying to strap his sparring armor like the way Annabeth taught him to when he heard a deep taunting voice on his back.

"Hey, look. It's the noobie."

"Clarisse," Annabeth muttered warningly.

 _Dang,_ he thought. He was planning to have his way here without having to deal with bullies, but it looked like it wasn't going to be the case here.

Across him, Annabeth gave him a look that said, _Don't bother._

But he's always known for acting on impulse so he spun around on his feet, his armor hanging crookedly on him.

A big, bulky person, almost twice his size was standing before him. Her dark red hair was pulled back from her face and her eyes looked like she's beat anyone who dared to cross with her. She almost looke like a man with her stocky build, he certainly thought so, if not for Annabeth pointing out that the girl's name was in fact Clarisse. Three more person hung behind her and they all looked ready for blood.

Percy briefly remembered Grover's words when he first came here.

" _Bah! You're lucky I'm not Clarisse."_

Now he can see why Grover warned him. Clarisse looked terrifying in every single way and the spear on her hand made her even more so.

"So, who are you, little spunk?" she growled.

"What's it to you?" he spat back.

Red flushed Clarisse's cheeks, which were almost a similar shade to her hair. She seized a fistful of his shirt and yanked him forcefully.

"Listen here, punk. You don't wanna mess with me. I'm the boss here and I can beat you to a pulp if I want to. Take that inside your idjit brain."

Looking back, Percy should've probably nodded his head and got away without breaking into a fight, but the irrational part of him that wanted to defend himself took over. So he got close and spat on her face, right between her eyes.

The effect was instantaneous. Everyone watched with their mouths open in anticipation, probably waiting for the newbie to be beaten up. Clarisse threw him on the ground with a mouthful of profanities. Pebbles and jagged fragments of rock dug painfully on his back and he barely noticed the sharp end of the spear coming at him. In a matter of seconds, Annabeth had taken her dagger out and easily deflected the blow. She quickly seized the shaft and held it tight.

"Dammit, Clarisse," she cursed. "Are you trying to kill him?"

"Move away, Princess. It's not your battle to fight."

"Stop this or I'll report you to Chiron!"

"That is what you're good at, huh? Reporting to Chiron like his little pet," Clarisse taunted. She pulled back her spear and tried to aim at him again when she suddenly dropped it.

"Fucking hell!" she cried out. She held her hand close to her chest. Percy could see that it was abnormally bright red, and small blisters were beginning to pop up from her burned hand. With her other hand, she picked up her spear and stomped away. The rest of her lankies gave them hard cold stares and followed her suit.

Just then, he noticed Leo on his right, his hands burning in small, bright orange flames. He didn't look uncomfortable, but the flames quickly extinguished.

"Wow," Percy said, amazed. "Did you just—?"

"Burn Clarisse?" Leo supplied. He looked astonished himself. "Yep. Oh, wow."

Annabeth turned back to him and held her hand out. "What the hell were you thinking, Percy? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm sorry. I just—"

"My man," Leo hollered and placed both of his fire hands on Percy's shoulders. "That was the coolest thing you've ever done."

Annabeth rubbed her forehead. "Don't encourage his actions, Leo."

Percy smiled through gritted teeth. His back throbbed painfully. "Burning her hand is probably cooler."

"Yep." Leo turned to Annabeth. "Annabeth, did you just see that? I zapped Clarisse's hand with fire. _Clarisse._ "

Despite herself, she grinned. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

"I gotta tell Piper. She'll swoon over this hot body," Leo said. He turned back to Percy. "Don't worry, Percy. As long as you get claimed, Clarisse won't probably bothering you as much."

Then he sped off, disappearing into a corner.

Percy turned back to her. "Are they—?"

Annabeth snorted. "Dating? No. That's just Leo. He flirts with every girl he sees."

"So..."

"Now. You're coming with me to the infirmary and then we'll talk."

* * *

Like any high school scene, word got around about his fight with Clarisse. Well, not exactly a fight but whatever. Murmurs were spreading around the campfire as they were finishing up the last pieces of their dinner.

Percy had spent the rest of his afternoon in infirmary, with Annabeth scolding him half of that time. Piper visited him too and scolded him for a minute before she launched on how brave he was to stand up against Clarisse. They were also keen in pointing out that at the moment he gets claimed, Clarisse would most likely stop bullying him. It was a nice thought to think of. But he can't shake off a bad feeling. What if he doesn't get claimed? He didn't even want to think of the consequences following it. He just hoped his jerk of a father would claim him and give him a chance to fix his life.

He left half of his dinner on his plate, hoping it was enough motivation for his father to claim him.

"Are you nervous?" Piper asked him. She noticed the large portion of his meal on his plate. "Wow. That's a lot."

"You think?"

"Whoever he is, he'll probably be compelled to claim you with that offering," she joked. "Annabeth should probably coming here anytime now. She's just fetching Chiron."

"I wasn't looking for her."

Piper shook her head and grinned. "Whatever."

"I wasn't!" he exclaimed. Percy's gaze wandered around until he spotted Bianca again back in the shadows. He wanted to go check on her, but his Claiming Ritual would probably start anytime now. He wasn't looking forward for one of Annabeth's rants for the nth time now.

"Piper," he called.

"Hm?"

"Earlier, when I was sitting with Bianca, everyone was looking at me weirdly. I don't get it. I know she's an Unclaimed but—"

"It's just the thing here, Percy. You shouldn't interact with them. I don't personally like it. I mean, I want to be friends with her but," Piper sighed dejectedly. "It's just the norm."

"Did you ever tried changing it? I'm sure you could all find a way to remove this—this norm. It sounds so unfair for all of the Unclaimed!" Percy said. He's liking this place less and less the more he uncovers painful truths. It felt like he was back in the dark corner, getting shunned out by the rest of his classmates for something he's never at fault.

"If that was just easy."

They were interrupted by the sound of hooves approaching them. Chiron was standing before him, with Annabeth flanking his side. She gave him a small smile, and despite their arguments, it calmed the nervous butterflies inside his stomach a little. Chiron gestured for him to stand up, and they walked towards the center where the camp fire was burning brightly.

"Yo, _chico_. Knock their asses off," Leo whisper-yelled. He gave a thumbs up to Percy's direction. Piper smacked him in the head but she sent a wide grin to his direction too.

Chiron turned to him. "Are you ready, Perseus?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "And it's Percy."

When the rest of crowd have spotted him, they immediately quietened and waited for Chiron to start.

Chiron raised his arms up into the air. In a flurry, strong bellows of wind chilled the night despite the fire. Everyone stared at them without blinking.

"Gods and goddesses of Olympus, I present to you Perseus Jackson. For he has been sent to learn the wonders of Olympian deities and walk the path of heroes as demigod, the time has now come to claim him and to be an official of demigod of The Olympus Institute," he called.

He turned back to Percy, and motioned for him to step forward.

Percy hesitantly walked on his feet, and held the plate tightly. He sent a quick prayer to his father, whoever he was, to act on his responsibility to claim him. Then he scraped off the rest of his plate to the fire until it burned into ashes.

Dark clouds covered the night sky and thunder rumbled in the distance.

"To the deity from he has descended, by all of your grace and power, I ask for you to claim him."

Thunder struck the fire and it rose higher; its flames almost licking the clouds. The rain quickly changed from a downpour into torrents.

Percy closed his eyes tightly and repeatedly chanted. He clenched his hands into fists and waited for Chiron to tell him his father. Waited for him to tell it was over, that he was claimed and he could now be in peace without having to worry about Clarisse and her bullies.

But nothing happened.

He slowly opened his eyes, and across him, he could see Clarisse's face smirking at him and he knew. Something had gone wrong.

He turned around to face Chiron. The old man's face was pulled into a miserable frown; the ends of his mouth strung tight, eyes downcast, like the face of the doctors he saw on t.v. used to pull when they're about to tell someone had died.

His hope surely did.

"You're an Unclaimed, Percy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo... this is unedited.
> 
> Heads up. I kinda tweaked the dining pavilion and the way they have their meals. I made it just like the goblets, where they can have any drinks.
> 
> Anyway, are you still willing to read this shit even if it's gonna be slow updates? Please review and tell me what you think.
> 
> (I'm sucker for it, but seriously, leave a review. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello readers! Here I am again, back with another story. Although this is completely different from the other fics that I've written, considering this is of the same Greek gods universe but with added soulmates, and not at all human au. This is why I'm struggling to fit my writing style and for the plot to be more dense, and I'm not greatest writer there so please help me. Although the plot will revolve around Greek mythology, I might have to alter some facts and create new stories to fit the story better. I might also decide not to alter those if I can help it and I will have to assure you that if I do, it wouldn't be drastic (like Athena being the goddess of love or something, surely not that).
> 
> Please, please do review and tell me what you think, if you liked that start and looking for more, and if you think this is going for something, because I sure have a planned plot going on my mind.
> 
> As always,
> 
> ThisIsAwesomeness


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